The field of invention relates to powered systems and, more specifically, to using route information to reduce emissions and/or fuel consumption though optimized route planning.
Powered systems include off-highway vehicles, marine vessels, stationary power generation units, trains and other rail vehicles, agricultural vehicles, transport vehicles, and the like. Powered systems are usually powered by a power unit, such as, a diesel engine or other engine. With respect to rail vehicle systems, the powered system is a locomotive, which may be part of a train that further includes a plurality of rail cars, such as freight cars. Usually more than one locomotive is provided as part of the train, where a grouping of locomotives controlled together is referred to as a locomotive “consist.” Locomotives are complex systems with numerous subsystems, with each subsystem being interdependent on other subsystems.
An operator is usually aboard a locomotive to ensure the proper operation of the locomotive, and when there is a locomotive consist, the operator is usually aboard a lead locomotive. In addition to insuring proper operations of the locomotive, or locomotive consist, the operator also is responsible for determining operating speeds of the train and forces within the train. To perform this function, the operator generally must have extensive experience with operating the locomotive and various trains over the specified terrain. This knowledge is needed to comply with prescribed operating speeds that may vary with the train location along the track. Moreover, the operator is also responsible for ensuring in-train forces remain within acceptable limits.
However, even with knowledge to ensure safe operation, the operator cannot usually operate the locomotive so that the fuel consumption and emissions is minimized for each trip. For example, other factors that must be considered may include emission output, operator's environmental conditions like noise/vibration, a weighted combination of fuel consumption and emissions output, etc. This is difficult to do since, as an example, the size and loading of trains vary, locomotives and their fuel/emissions characteristics are different, the location of the train varies, and weather and traffic conditions vary.
To reduce fuel consumption and emissions, some trains and other powered systems may use a trip optimizer or trip planner system, fuel saving system, speed control system, or other train control system. Trip optimizer systems, for example, incorporate (or otherwise utilize) information about the powered system and the mission of the powered system (e.g., vehicle route data) into a mission/trip plan. The mission plan provides control settings (such as propulsion and braking commands) for the powered system along the route or other mission. The powered system is controlled according to the mission plan, either automatically or by the trip optimizer system suggesting the control settings to the operator of the powered system.
In the case of a vehicle, it may be possible for the vehicle to travel along alternate routes, that is, the vehicle may start along one route and then switch to another route, even if the final destination does not change. For example, in the case of a train, the train may switch from one set of tracks to another set of tracks, e.g., a siding, for a meet and pass with another train, or to avoid areas of track maintenance. Switching routes will typically result in a previously generated mission plan no longer being optimally valid. However, providing information about the new route to the trip optimizer system has heretofore involved automatic radio communications from wayside equipment to the train (or other powered system), which is expensive to implement.
Additionally, rail vehicles are routinely assigned to a particular track, usually in the form of a track number, typically for purposes of movement planning, such as scheduling a route. Further, some train control systems enforce control signals for controlling the rail vehicle at distinct areas along particular tracks. Thus, if a train control system is not aware of the rail vehicle's properly assigned track number, and whether this number coincides with the track that the rail vehicle is currently on, the train control system has little certainty it is enforcing the correct control signals for that rail vehicle.
Furthermore, with implementation of a trip optimization system and/or software aboard rail vehicles, a track database is typically utilized in optimizing the trip planning process and to ensure that the plan is followed during the designated trip. Because of its use in the trip optimization system and/or software, the integrity of the track database specific to a certain track is critical. When databases are currently updated, the update usually involves providing a completely new database that includes both existing data as well as the new/modified data. Such updates may be time consuming in view of the size of the database and/or bandwidth available for delivery of the new database.
The updates to the database are provided from a remote location. Systems at the remote location may not be readily compatible with the rail vehicle. Towards this end, cost and time are required to modify or augment the software and/or communication system to provide the information to the rail vehicle.
As the rail vehicle is progressing along a mission, slow orders (i.e., atypical speed limit changes) may be provided to the rail vehicle. More specifically, all track speed limits must be obeyed. However, at times railroads may issue temporary speed limits, which are known as slow orders. These orders are not available in a typical database, but such orders must still be considered.
Some methods are currently available to assist in identifying a rail vehicle's current track number, or which track a rail vehicles is on when adjacent tracks are proximate the track upon which the rail vehicle is traveling. However, these methods have significant shortcomings, particularly in multiple-track regions, where rail vehicles typically initiate motion and require identification of their track number. For example, wayside equipment such as axle counters and track circuits require significant maintenance, which is undesirable in certain areas, including multiple-track regions. Additionally, low cost GPS technology has been used in conjunction with track switch direction to support identification of a rail vehicle track number. However, such technology only provides meaningful identification of the rail vehicle track number in single track areas or requires the train to move before being able to determine the correct track assignment. Thus, many current train control systems are not equipped to identify the rail vehicle track number in a multiple track area, and thus the rail vehicle operator must manually determine the track number in the multiple track area by radio, visually, or by pure speculation.
Since route/mission information that may be used to optimize a mission plan is beneficial, owners and operators of powered systems would realize benefits, such as but not limited to financial benefits, from an approach which results in only new/modified data being transmitted to the powered system, wherein the existing database is simply augmented with the new/modified data. Additionally, owners and operators would benefit from an approach that provides for delivering information, such as but not limited to manifest and/or route information, from a remote facility to a powered system where a modification to an information technology system aboard the powered system is not required. With respect to mission changes, or slow orders, an approach is needed that ensures that slow orders are implemented for any trip where the slow orders are not permanently infused into a trip database. For powered systems that have defined mission routes, such as a train operating on tracks, it would be advantageous to provide a system capable of identifying a track number in a multiple track area, thereby permitting accurate enforcement of signals for a powered system control system from the time that the powered system moves from the multiple track area and outwardly along its route.